It traces emotional conflicts through the protagonist, Paul Morel, and his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers. The novel revolves around Paul Morel, a sensitive young artist whose love for his mother, Gertrude, overshadows his romances with two women: Miriam, his repressed, religious girlfriend, and Clara, an experienced, independent married woman. Unable to watch his mother die slowly of cancer, Paul kills her with morphine. Despite losing her and rejecting both Miriam and Clara, Paul harbours hope for the future. Chiltern are publishers of exquisitely crafted editions of the world’s finest classic literature. These beautiful books are a perfect mix of tradition and the very latest in printing techniques.